Arbuckle and Lloyd's cars aren't wanted...

[Rodney]

I can't find it on Google easily, but I thought I remembered that the wild car colors of the 1970s (?) were abandoned at the car plants when it was found that the compounds necessary for those colors were a danger to the employees.

To REALLY take this discussion off-topic, it also turns out that the "celluloid" coatings traditionally used for accordions -- sometimes called "mother of bowling ball" -- give off deadly fumes (and were traditionally applied by elderly Italian women in poorly ventilated work places). One of the benefits of the E.U. was laws against hazardous working conditions, so now you only find these colors on accordions from China.

[entredeuxguerres]

Which inevitably brings up the famous story of Oscar Wilde, dying in a Paris hotel room, looking at the psychedelic red wallpaper and saying, "Either this wallpaper goes, or I must." And it was Oscar who went.

Jim

Wonderful, or rather, exquisite, story...though I'm surprised Oscar didn't find the paper ravissante.

[Frederica]

I'm more interested in when arbitrary standards of taste began to be applied to car colors, as opposed to what was available.

Francis X. Bushman had a car (a Marmon to be precise) variously described as purple or lavender.

greta

So that makes at least two custom made cars sporting a purple (or shade of purple) color. The Nethercutt has cars that are painted every color in the rainbow, so it would seem that whatever color standards existed at that time, they didn't apply to the wealthy. Which would put cars in the same consumerist basket as couture.

Anyway, I'd like to see more photos of the Pierce Arrow. I wish Mr. Topchap would tell us more about his conversation with the owners.

[Brooksie]

I'm more interested in when arbitrary standards of taste began to be applied to car colors, as opposed to what was available.

Francis X. Bushman had a car (a Marmon to be precise) variously described as purple or lavender.

greta

So that makes at least two custom made cars sporting a purple (or shade of purple) color. The Nethercutt has cars that are painted every color in the rainbow, so it would seem that whatever color standards existed at that time, they didn't apply to the wealthy. Which would put cars in the same consumerist basket as couture.

A old psychiatrist I once knew told me about one absolutely foolproof of telling that a client was slightly unhinged - they would write their letters to him in either green or purple ink. Having dealt with letters from a lot of similarly paranoid folks in my old government job, I can certainly confirm this theory. The more colours and underlinings and bolds (AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON CAPITALS), the odder the contents of the letter. Take from that what you will.

[FrankFay]

If you want to write a really proper crazy letter it has to be hand written. If you are forced to use a computer uSEThe sHifTkey a NDt he SPaCEB ar AT RanDO m.

[Frederica]

If you want to write a really proper crazy letter it has to be hand written. If you are forced to use a computer uSEThe sHifTkey a NDt he SPaCEB ar AT RanDO m.

Oh, I dunno, letters just slow the crazies down. Remember the MI5 guy? He was an internet-created goofball.